Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play essential roles in the progression of human tumors, including renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The present study aimed to explore the functions and potential mechanisms of human circular RNA hsa_circRNA_101705 (circTXNDC11) in RCC. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was applied to measure circTXNDC11 expression in RCC tissues and cell lines. RNase R and actinomycin D assays were conducted to analyze the characteristic of circTXNDC11. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, colony formation assay, and transwell invasion assay were performed to assess cell proliferation and invasion abilities. Western blotting was applied to assess the levels of MEK and ERK proteins in RCC cells. Murine xenograft model assay was conducted to deduce the role of circTXNDC11 in vivo. The current data showed that circTXNDC11 was overexpressed in RCC tissues and cells. The overexpression of circTXNDC11 is linked to advanced TNM stage and lymph node metastasis of renal cancer. Knocking down circTXNDC11 suppressed cell proliferation and invasion in vitro and reduced tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, circTXNDC11 promoted RCC growth and invasion by activating the MAPK/ERK pathway. Thus, the current findings identified circTXNDC11 as a novel regulator of RCC tumorigenesis through the regulation of the MAPK/ERK pathway, offering a potential therapeutic target for RCC treatment.